Today after a morning coordination meeting with the vice-governor, various government agencies and other “major players” (in which little more was accomplished than circular bickering over how many people were killed) Norm and Reese joined representatives of Concern International on another trip to Ab Baarik. This time their goal was to visit the section of the camp that Concern is responsible for, as well as to build more connections with the villagers and interview those affected. Below is a brief quote from Reese’s experience, as well as several harrowing stories of the survivors and their families.

Reese:

“Today Norm and I returned to Ab Baarik for a more in depth survey of the situation. We saw a lot that concerned us. First we saw a man from Pakistan handing out money to what quickly turned into a desperate mob. The police had to fire a few warning shots into the air to calm the situation and disperse the crowd. It has been a week and a half since the slide, and the smell has gotten pretty bad. We saw many people praying for their lost ones. Those affected directly, plus many people from surrounding villages are flocking to get any aid or assistance they can get their hands on. It has been bad for all these people for some time, and it is difficult to tell who is worst off. I met a 5-year old boy and his older sister who had severe trauma from watching their father and family members die in front of them. Your heart aches for these children, and you will do anything to make them smile.”

Stories:

Khawa Gul: She is an older lady with 5 children to take care of ranging from a little baby boy up to a 15-year old girl. She lost her husband, her house, and all her family in the landslide, and Concern has not been able to identify any other family related to her. After observing her during the course of his visit, Norm identified her as being the most obviously disturbed woman he saw. Upon hearing bodies had been found at the site she took off running down the hill. She was frantic and others said she often cried and was unable to sleep.

Agha Mohammad: He was one of the first ones to tell us his story. He had tears in his eyes as he told of the 15 family members he had lost, and pointed out the section of mud where his brother’s house had once been. He was lucky enough that his own house and family had been located in an unaffected part of the village, however his brother and his wife and entire family were killed, along with cousins and members of his wife’s family.

Ahmad: We did not speak directly with this teenage boy as he was in a state of deep mourning when we saw him and then he disappeared afterwards, but villagers explained a little of his story. When we saw him he was crouched over a deep hole he had dug into the mud where his house had once been. He had made it to about 6m deep and had reached the roof beams of his former house. His mother and all his brothers and sisters had been inside.

Jamila: The most “profoundly disturbed youth” that Norm encountered. She had lost her mother, father and most of her family. Her behavior was very inappropriate – smiling and giggling without cause. Her thinking was disorganized, and she had become voluntarily mute. Norm was told that at night she cried out “where is my mother!” and “my mother is under the ground!”. These are the types of cases Dr. Norm is most concerned about and is trying to ensure they receive adequate support.

These stories are obviously just the tip of the iceberg, and many other horrible ones have been discussed in the news. The situation is tough, and serious long term planning is going to be necessary. Our PARSA team is doing everything we can to come up with the best possible plan of action to assist those affected in rebuilding their lives.